xy

“O Euclid, you will acquire a power of managing sophists, but not of governing men.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Did you suppose that so noble a man must be born of two Athenians?”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“To avoid excess in everything.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Be of good cheer; for if our guests are sensible men, they will bear with us; and if they are not, we need not care about them.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Do you not perceive that you are giving me what is of the greatest value?”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“And nature has condemned them.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Would you, then, have had me deserve death?”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Did I not say that Xanthippe was thundering now, and would soon rain?”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“But I am used to it, just as I should be if I were always hearing the noise of a pulley; and you yourself endure to hear geese cackling.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Well, and Xanthippe brings me children.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“and as they, when they have once mastered them, are easily able to manage all others; so I, after managing Xanthippe, can easily live with anyone else whatever.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“My real opinion is, that as a return for what has been done by me, I deserve a maintenance in the Prytaneum for the rest of my life.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Crito, Crito, we owe a cock to Aesculapius. Pay it and do not neglect it.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“Crito, Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not neglect it.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“When does the soul obtain truth?—for in attempting to consider anything in company with the body she is obviously deceived. …Then must not existence be revealed to her in thought, if at all? …And thought is best when the mind is gathered into herself and none of these things trouble her—neither sounds nor sights nor pain nor any pleasure—when she has as little as possible to do with the body, and has no bodily sense or feeling, but is aspiring after being? …And in this the philosopher dishonors the body; his soul runs away from the body and desires to be alone and by herself?”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“The exchange of one fear or pleasure or pain for another fear or pleasure or pain, which are measured like coins, the greater with the less, is not the exchange of virtue. O, my dear Simmias, is there not one true coin, for which all things ought to exchange?—and that is wisdom; and only in exchange for this, and in company with this, is anything truly bought or sold, whether courage or temperance or justice. …in the true exchange, there is a purging away of all these things, and temperance, and justice, and courage, and wisdom herself are a purgation of them.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“And I rejoiced to think that I has found in Anaxagoras a teacher of the causes of existence such as I desired, and I imagined that he would tell me first whether the earth is flat or round; and then he would further explain that this position was the best, and I should be satisfied… and not want any other sort of cause. And I thought that I would then go and ask him about the sun and moon and stars, and he would explain to me their comparative swiftness, and their returnings and various states, and how their several affections, active and passive, were all for the best. For I could not imagine that when he spoke of mind as the disposer of them, he would give any other account of their being as they are, except that this was best; and I thought when he had explained to me in detail the cause of each and the cause of all, he would go on to explain to me what was best for me and what was best for all. …I seized the books and read them as fast as I could in my eagerness to know the better and the worse.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“And are not the temperate exactly in the same case? They are temperate because they are intemperate—which may seem to be a contradiction, but is nevertheless the sort of thing which happens with this foolish temperance. For there are pleasures which they must have, and are afraid of losing; and therefore they abstain from one class of pleasures because they are overcome by another: and whereas intemperance is defined as "being under the domination of pleasure," they overcome only because they are overcome by pleasure.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“If somebody asks them, Why, what evil does he practice or teach? they do not know, and cannot tell; but in order that they do not appear to be at a loss, they repeat the ready-made charges which are used against all philosophers about teaching things up in the clouds and under the earth, and having no gods, and making the worse appear the better cause; for they do not like to confess that their pretense of knowledge has been detected — which is the truth…”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher